Origin of Wedding Cakes

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Wedding Cakes


Origin of wedding cakes

Since medieval times, the weeding part has played a part in the marriage ceremony. Of course the elaborate
ingredients used today were not available – so wedding cakes were made from wheat. Wheat is a symbol of
fertility and prosperity, this, to ensure the bride a swift pregnancy, the cake was thrown at the bride.

In Rome, around 1900 years ago things were a little more civilised. Salt was added to the wheat mixture, which
was baked in a clay oven. The groom would eat part of the cake, the rest was crumbled over his bride's head.
This was taken as a sign of good fortune and a blessing for long life and many children. The guests would try
and obtain a crumb for themselves as they too believed they would then share in the good fortune and future
prosperity of the couple. Further, the breaking the bread symbolized the breaking of the bride's virginity and the
dominance of the groom over her.

	Later began a European custom of stacking small buns in a large pile in front of the bridge and groom. Stacked as high as possible the idea was to to make it difficult for the newlyweds to kiss one another over the top. If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the tall stack, it was thought to symbolize a lifetime of prosperity. During the 1660's during the reign of King Charles II, a French chef (whose name is now lost) visited London and was appalled at the cake-piling ritual. The chef noticed the inconvenience of piling smaller cakes into a mound and conceived the idea of constructing them into a solid stacked system. This earliest tiered wedding cake utilized short-cut broom sticks to separate the layers. Of course such an elaborate wedding cake would have to be prepared days in advance. To prevent the cake from drying out, it was coated in lard. Lucky for the guests, the lard was scraped off just before serving. In later years, sugar was added to improve the taste of the lard and allowed the lard to be left on the wedding cake as a decorative icing.

	By the late 19th century, the wedding cake became more popular. Around this time, cakes were simple single-tiered plum cakes, with some variations. However, it is a given that a wedding cake should be white, denoting purity. It is the white wedding cake that first appeared in Victorian England. The white cake also symbolised wealth. Icing ingredients were very difficult to come by. White icing required the use of only the finest refined sugar, so the whiter the cake, the more affluent the families appeared.

	Pillars as decoration existed long before the multi-tiered wedding cake appeared, so it was a natural progression for cake bakers to try using pillars as a way to support the upper tiers. To prevent the pillars from sinking into the bottom tier, icing was hardened to provide the necessary support.

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	We dare you to put us to the test • We can cater for any event , small and large. • We make cakes for every occasion from weddings, to birthdays and all other special celebrations • We offer Italian cooking courses. Simply send us a message. • Or if you’d like to know more, or send us your feedback, you can contact us at any time.

We dare you to put us to the test